


Chugs and Kisses

by seungsols



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, School Reunion, gyuhao are roomies, imagine this as a romcom movie okay, jihoon is bisexual here, soonseok are roomies, soonyoung likes cake or something in almost all my aus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 04:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13287441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungsols/pseuds/seungsols
Summary: Mingyu needs a hot date for his high school reunion and Seokmin seems like a sensible candidate.





	Chugs and Kisses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gyuandkwan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gyuandkwan/gifts).



> Hello, Ysa! I've seen you comment on my work before and I'm really glad that I got to write a fic for you. You provided so many prompts I didn't know what to choose, haha. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun writing it ♡

**** “You’re late. Later than usual,” Minghao commented as he turned his head away from the television as he watched his roommate, Mingyu, close the door behind him.

“I had to close up,” Mingyu commented as he tucked his shoes into the foyer’s shelves before putting on the bunny slippers that awaited him all day. He walked into the living room and smiled as Minghao put his headset back on. “Have you been playing since you got home?”

Minghao nodded, tapping his fingers excitedly on the edges of the controller. “New competitive season just started. Gotta beat Wonwoo hyung.” Mingyu snickered before heading to his bedroom to change into house clothes before heating up leftovers for dinner. “I picked up the mail by the way,” Minghao shouted from the couch as Mingyu slipped on a hooded sweater over his spaghetti-stained white shirt. “You have something.”

Mingyu hummed in response as he headed into the kitchen as he heard Minghao whine how someone already selected his main character in the current game. He opened the fridge and pulled out the rice cakes and gochujang as the water with anchovies and kelp on the stove was heating up. While waiting, he skimmed through the mail and blinked in surprise when he saw a letter from his old high school.

Opening the envelope and gasping, he was reminded of his reunion that was next month. “Shit!” he shouted.

“You couldn’t have burned the rice cakes again,” Minghao shouted back in reply.

Mingyu walked out with the envelope and looked over at his roommate while pointing to the reminder. “Hao, you have to come for me—”

“Nope.”

“Hao!” Mingyu whined. He pouted as his friend put his headset back on, another indication of rejecting the idea.

Minghao shook his head. “You’re on your own with this one. Just ask someone at your coffee shop—”

“And present myself vulnerable to them by showing them my past?” Mingyu gasped. “I beg to differ!”

Grunting as his character died, Minghao looked up at his restless friend before shrugging. “You’ll find someone. Just… don’t ask me again or I’ll throw you out the window.”

“Who else am I going to find to go with me?”

 

—

“Yah! Seokmin!” Soonyoung whined on the phone before he pulled away to cough into his shirt, whining again afterwards. “It shouldn’t take long, right? I really want my soup…”

Seokmin snickered. “I’m guessing someone regrets going out to drink last night with a cold, huh?” He hummed to himself as he was writing in his planner with his phone resting between his left ear and shoulder. “I kept telling you that it was a stupid idea.”

Soonyoung groaned. “Yeah, well you know me and stupid ideas!” He blew his nose into a tissue before leaning back against the couch. “You’re getting your assignments today, right? Do you think you’ll be far away from me?” gasped Soonyoung. “Oh, who will keep me from doing stupid shit?”

“Dude, I swear if I’m across the Han and I get a phone call from the police office about you, you’re on your own.” Soonyoung whined before having another coughing fit, making Seokmin sigh. “Shut up, you know I’d save your ass anyway.”

“My ass would be saved every day if you didn’t get into grad school.” Soonyoung smiled when he heard Seokmin grumble a bit. “Hey, you know I’m proud of you. Anyway, I should hang up now so that you can focus on your plant things while I take a nap.”

“Hey, these plant things make the medicine that keep your dumbass alive!” The two shared a laugh before Soonyoung hung up.

Sometimes Seokmin questions if grad school was a good idea, especially since he’s two or three years older than most of his peers because of his tough post-undergrad situation with finances. But Soonyoung—his best friend—offered to let Seokmin stay at his place. Seokmin helped with part-time jobs at a nearby grocery store so he could pay with for his graduate degree. And after about two years, Seokmin was able to get into the university of his dreams, his botany dreams.

“Lee Seokmin!” 

Seokmin promptly looked up from his notebook and scurried over to his professor anxiously. “Y-yes sir?” He pushed up his glasses after given his assignment before blinking. “A brewery?”

“You’re the most knowledgeable one in this entire group about hops and it pays really well.” Seokmin skimmed over the papers before he felt his professor pat his back and smile proudly. “You’ll do well. Nobody else knows when else to harvest it at a certain time.”

A bit flattered, Seokmin nodded slowly and swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. “When do I start?”

“Tomorrow.”

Seokmin gasped. “Already? But I—”

“It’s nearby. Just travel to Mapo. An hour commute if you’re up for that.” Seokmin nodded enthusiastically as his professor chuckled lightly. “I think you’re ready. I know it isn’t a pharmacy like you wanted, but they’re a good brewing company. The best, in fact. And it’s a good step for you to get out there. Who knows, maybe you’ll get to pay for that botanical garden you’ve always wanted.”  

 

—

 

“Beer?” Mingyu blinked surprised at his staff meeting at the cafe. “I didn’t know that was a popular beverage choice when eating cake,” he scratched the back of his head.

“I’ve read about it,” Seungkwan responded as he nodded at their manager, “it’s really common in America. I guess we’ll just be following the trend.”

“There’s been a lot more foreigners coming into our cafe,” Seungcheol hummed. “I think it’d be the best move for our business. Plus, we have that brewery near us that’s willing to provide it for us.”

“How much profit are we giving them for it?” Mingyu asked.

“We won’t lose anything if that’s what you’re wondering,” Seungcheol grinned. “We’ll be making a profit. Plus, I got a good price for how much we should get them for.” After looking up from his clipboard, Seungcheol smiled up at Mingyu after pushing his glasses up. “We need to talk to the brewery one more time though. They said we have to a taste test with the beer with one of our chocolate cakes.”

“Oh, that’s a very good pairing!” Seungkwan commented.

Mingyu raised an eyebrow. “And you’re looking at me, Hyung, because—”

“Because you have the best tastebuds on this team!” Seungcheol exclaimed. “Ah, no offense, Seungkwan.”

Seungkwan shrugged. “None taken, I don’t really like beer anyway.” Mingyu whined when he heard Seungcheol mumble how he doesn’t tolerate it well either.

Mingyu sighed. “So, do I need to go to this brewery this week?”

“Today,” Seungcheol hummed.

“TODAY?”

“In about an hour actually. But don’t worry. I called in last night and they’re already expecting you. You should meet up with Jeonghan—he’s a good friend of mine—and he’ll take good care of you.”

“You planned all of this out without my knowledge?” Mingyu stood there dumbfounded as both his manager and co-worker nodded in unison. He ruffled his hair and agreed to the plan he didn’t have much consent with before they dispersed to their work stations.

With the orders from Seungcheol, Mingyu left his station as soon as Chan arrived for his shift in the barista corner. Mingyu felt a bit uneasy leaving the newest employee to his baby—the espresso machine—but he quickly had to brush the idea off that Chan would ruin it. Leaving the cafe, he quickly stopped by the pharmacy nearby to visit Minghao.

At the sight of Minghao, Mingyu felt a bit better, much to Minghao’s portrayed dismay. “Why are you here?” he asked with a surprised tone. “I see you enough at the apartment, don’t I?” He snickered when Mingyu whined and pouted at him. “Are you on break?”

Mingyu leaned against the counter as Minghao was getting a pick-up order ready for delivery. “You could say that… I have to go to this brewery because we’re adding beer to the menu.”

“Beer?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Mingyu rubbed his temples. “Apparently it’s a trend in foreign countries so Hyung wants to see if we could get profit from it.”

“Well, it is local, so that’s a good thing at least.” Minghao shrugged as he handed Mingyu a box of aspirin since he knew how much stress his friend was under. “It’s on me. And, who knows, maybe you’ll find your date for that high school reunion there.”

Mingyu scrunched his nose and grabbed the pill box as Minghao snickered. “Yeah,” he rolled his eyes, “maybe I’ll just meet the love of my life too, huh?”

 

—

 

Jeonghan was showing Seokmin the grand tour of the brewery while waiting for their expected cafe client to arrive. Seokmin was constantly writing down notes in his notebook. When he wasn’t writing, he was pushing up his glasses and intently listening to Jeonghan talk about the brewery, himself, and the beer.

“You’re better than the other intern your university sent me,” Jeonghan joked as he patted Seokmin’s tense back. “Relax a bit, I’m not your professor. I’m just your manager.”

Seokmin mumbled to himself how that was practically the same thing before shaking out of his thoughts and scurrying to catch up to Jeonghan who was going to his office. “Seungcheol should have sent one of his employees an hour ago so they should be here any minute. I’ll do all the talking, but don’t be afraid to chime in when you feel it’s necessary, okay?” Seokmin stood up straight as soon as Jeonghan turned to him and nodded. Jeonghan chuckled again. “Wow, you really are tense. How about we grab one of these bad boys after the meeting, hm?”

“Are we allowed to do that?”

“Of course. It’s my brewery,” Jeonghan laughed. “I’ll introduce you to the others tomorrow so you aren’t as overwhelmed, hm?” Seokmin nodded shyly, grateful at how nice and warm his boss was.

It wasn’t long before Jeonghan greeted Mingyu who was awkwardly waiting in the gift shop looking around at the various bottles and souvenirs the brewery had to offer. With a formal introduction and a firm handshake, Jeonghan led Mingyu to the brew kettle. Seokmin noticed the much taller visitor through the office window and quickly grabbed his clipboard and glasses before rushing out to follow them. He eventually caught up, catching a glimpse of the visitor before they made direct eye contact in front of each other.

“Mingyu, this is Lee Seokmin. He’s a new intern here.” Jeonghan introduced. “Seokmin, this is Kim Mingyu. He’s the cafe employee here to taste test our product.”

They bowed to each other, somewhat awkwardly since none of them had even said a word, before standing back up and sharing a flimsy, weak handshake. Seokmin quickly wiped his sweaty hands on his pants before walking next to Mingyu, peaking up a bit ever so often.

Jeonghan let Seokmin explain the different types of beers to Mingyu who held each one in his hand one at a time and tasted it. Jeonghan nodded to himself in approval for how Seungcheol sent a proper taste testing employee from how well Mingyu commented on the beers. Seokmin himself was surprised by how much Mingyu knew.

They continued the walking tour as Seokmin spoke up. “You seem to know a lot about beer.” Mingyu looked over and blinked before Seokmin gasped. “I mean—not that I assume you drink a lot or anything— but not like I implied you have a weak tolerance against alcohol to not handle it at all or—” he stopped and blushed to himself when Mingyu snickered.

“Thanks, I think?” Mingyu grinned. “I went to culinary school, so we had a few lessons on beer and wine.” Seokmin nodded before Mingyu looked back at him. “You probably know more than me though since you’re an actual scientist.”

“Oh,” Seokmin coughed as his cheeks flushed. “I mean… I’m not an actual scientist… I just work with plants.”

“So a plant scientist,” Mingyu concluded. The two shared a glance and laughed. Jeonghan peaked behind him and smiled knowingly. The tour continued until Mingyu was sitting in Jeonghan’s office discussing the type of beer that the cafe should sell. It was a business conversation, something Seokmin could not participate in on account of his lack of knowledge with businesses or companies in general.

He sat back before his phone went off. He looked at the caller ID and rolled his eyes as he answered it and put it to his ear. “Kwon Soonyoung—”

Soonyoung whined. “What? I can't ask my best friend how his first say is on the job?”

“You can, but I know you probably want me to pick up soup or something before I come back.”

“Oh, it's like you read my mind,” Soonyoung snickered. “Actually, do you think you can pick up cake? I'm having a sweet tooth craving.”

“No bakery is open this late.”

“You can get one at a cafe or something! Please Seokmin?”

Seokmin looked up and saw Mingyu’s smiling from afar before he blinked in realization. “Um… okay, I'll see what I can do.” They hung up just as Jeonghan and Mingyu stood up and shook hands, prompting Seokmin to enter the room. “Did you guys figure everything out?”

Jeonghan patted Mingyu’s back with a wide smile. “Definitely. We definitely have a good partnership in our future.” Mingyu grinned and shook Jeonghan’s hand once more before him and Seokmin coincidentally exited the room together.

“So,” Seokmin coughed. “You work at a cafe, right?” Mingyu looked over with another beaming smile and nodded. After fixing his glasses, Seokmin scratched the back of his neck. “I know we just met but is it possible that I come with you? T-to your cafe that is!” he chuckled shyly. “My roommate is a mess and said he wanted cake and I don't know any other place open.”

They began to slow down their pace before coming to a complete halt as Mingyu blinked at Seokmin. “Sure, that's fine,” Mingyu smiled. “I'll see what we have and I'll give you something for free. It's on me, okay?”

“Oh!” Seokmin exclaimed. “You don't have to, really—”

“But I want to. Really.”

 

—

 

Minghao was next to Mingyu on the couch as they were both eating their cereal, so loud that it was a hassle to hold their conversation. “Kim Mingyu,” Minghao grumbled as he was crunching on his pieces, “I can't believe you went out of your way to bring a complete stranger into the cafe after hours just to bake and decorate cupcakes for him—for free—to bring to his drunk ass roommate.”

Mingyu slurped the milk from his bowl before putting it back on his lap. He pouted at his roommate after gulping it down. “What? Is it bad to be nice?”

“Well, it proves you'll probably be first or last to die in an apocalyptic scenario,” Minghao hummed teasingly as Mingyu whined. “It was very sweet,” Minghao confessed. “But, really, why'd you do it?”

He shrugged. “He seemed like he was in a tough situation and I wanted to help.”

“Did you fall for him?”

Mingyu almost spit out his cereal milk at those words as he looked at his roommate shocked. “I just met him that day!”

“Doesn't mean you didn't fall for him. Don't you believe in that love-at-first-sight shit anyway?”

“Why are you—of all people—telling me this?” Mingyu grumbled. Minghao shrugged. “I mean… he's cute but, again, I just met him. I don't know him very well.”

“You're going to be constantly traveling to that brewery and back. This might be the first but it certainly won't be the last. And who knows? Maybe this could be your date to that high school reunion.”

 

—

 

“You know,” Soonyoung hummed on the couch as he saw Seokmin jump at the foyer as he attempted to quietly walk in, “you’re coming later and later.” Seokmin stood there frozen with the living room lamp shining on him with a box of pastries. Soonyoung gasped at the realization and ran over. “Did you read my mind or something again?” He looked up and saw the blush on his friend’s face and gasped. “Oh! You met up with the pastry boy!”

“His name is Mingyu,” Seokmin coughed shyly.

Soonyoung grinned. “So I was right!” Seokmin rolled his eyes as he proceeded into the kitchen as Soonyoung hummed happily behind with the box. He gasped when he saw the muffins and croissants. “Hm, but you were out pretty late.” He sat down at the bar stool as he watched Seokmin grab a mug and start the coffee maker. 

“It’s only midnight.”

“Yeah. But you’re the one who’s usually in by eight. You missed our drama at nine, too!” Soonyoung pretended to sniffle as he pulled out one of the muffins and squealed in delight. “Anyway, so yeah, pastry boy—”

“—Mingyu…”

“Right, right, Mingyu. It’s been like, what, a month already? Seems like you two have gotten pretty friendly, hm?” Soonyoung nudged Seokmin who sat down next to him on the other stool as he grimaced at his friend. “Hey, c’mon!”

“We’ve gotten close,” Seokmin nodded. “I’ll admit that.” He blew on his mug before taking a small sip. Soonyoung kept that smile on his face as he continued to eat while watching Seokmin timidly grab the other muffin in the box. 

Soonyoung leaned his elbow on the counter. “Do you like him?” He gasped and started patting Seokmin’s back as he began coughing at the sudden question with the muffin in his mouth. “Is that a yes?”

“That’s an I-can’t-believe-you-made-me-choke,” Seokmin grumbled as he wiped his mouth and drank his coffee to clear his throat. He placed the cup back on the counter and sighed. “I mean… he’s cute. But, again, I don’t think I can determine if I like someone after just one month.”

“It took you no time at all to like Jeonghan hyung, right?”

“That’s different,” Seokmin shook his head. “He’s my boss. I don’t like him romantically.” He yelped when Soonyoung slammed his hands on the counter.

“So you admit it!” He said pointing at his shocked friend. “You  _ do _ like pastry boy in a romantic way!” Soonyoung teasingly poked Seokmin’s cheeks as they were growing red as he whined. “Hey, there’s no shame in it. You like who you like.”

“It’s not that,” Seokmin sighed. “It’s just… you know how I am.” Soonyoung’s teasing ceased when he saw his friend’s expression as he sipped the last bit of his coffee before he ruffled his hair.

Soonyoung patted Seokmin’s shoulder. “It’s been five years.”

“Five long and struggling years.” Seokmin added.

“Hey, I thought we said we’d leave him behind once we finished.”

Seokmin nodded slowly. “I know. But, I mean, I still have one year of grad school to go, remember? So I still haven’t finished school.” He leaned his head against the counter and groaned. “I know I’m being stupid right now. It’s just really hard.” Soonyoung pouted and scooted his chair closer. Seokmin looked up at his comforting friend who beamed a supportive smile before he sighed. “What do you think I should do?”

“I say go for it. At least ask Mingyu out on a date.”

“You think he’ll agree to it?”

“I don’t think he’ll disagree to it!”

They shared a laugh before Seokmin lifted his head up and straightened his posture as he rolled his shoulders back. “Alright. I’ll ask Mingyu out.”

 

—

 

Mingyu stood in front of the mall plaza just as Seokmin had said. He fixed his turtleneck as the wind blew towards him suddenly. Many people passed him. They all glanced at him as he was nicely dressed—perhaps overly dressed—in such a casual atmosphere. This and the fact that he was taller than most of the people made Mingyu stick out like a sore thumb. He felt a bit embarrassed, but he tried not to let his uneasiness get the best of him. 

He tried to stay calm and look relaxed by sitting on the nearby bench and checking his phone, hoping Seokmin would be here soon. Granted, Mingyu was earlier than the expected time. That was a habit though. He was always early to the cafe. And he stayed pretty late as well, usually closing up. With Seokmin in the picture, the two stayed after hours every so often to share any pastries that the cafe didn’t sell that day. He always made sure to pack them neatly and give to Seokmin whenever Mingyu needed to run home quickly.

Minghao caught onto his roommate’s pattern too, always commenting on how usually he is the one that stays later at his job. Not Mingyu. Mingyu couldn’t hide it from Minghao though. He admitted to the pattern that’s been happening for more than a month with Seokmin.

“That’s really sweet,” Minghao commented. “It’s kind of sickening.” Mingyu whined and ran his hands over his face. “So, what? Do you like him?”

“I think so,” Mingyu mumbled with his hands still covering his face.

“Maybe you can invite him to that reunion.”

“Shit!” Mingyu exclaimed. “I forgot about that.”

Minghao pulled the envelope with the invitation that was left on the coffee table up and threw it at Mingyu. “It’s been on the table. It’s in two weeks.” Minghao shrugged. “I don’t know why you want to go anyway. I mean, what’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal?” Mingyu gasped as he looked at Minghao shocked. Minghao raised his eyebrow in confusion. “It’s a huge deal! If you don’t show up, that means you’re either dead or a failure for not showing your face.” Mingyu shook his head. “I need to go. I need to prove I’m doing well.” He looked down and rubbed his hands on his knees to simmer down. “I got teased a lot for being too clumsy and for cooking.”

“Really?” Minghao asked. Mingyu nodded. “That’s fucked up.” Mingyu nodded in agreement. “I still don’t think you need to prove your worth, but if you want to then go for it. Show them.” Minghao patted Mingyu’s arm, a gesture rarely shown when Mingyu was in distress. Mingyu was thankful for Minghao.

 

“Mingyu?” Seokmin asked as he stood near the bench. Mingyu jumped a little looked up from his phone, happy to see Seokmin. They shared a smile as Mingyu stood up. He was about to go for a handshake, but Seokmin went in for a hug instead. (Which was probably way easier and less awkward for the both of them.) They began walking on the sidewalk to the restaurant that Mingyu recommended. 

“You don’t come to this side of town often, do you?” Mingyu asked.

Seokmin shook his head. “I live across the Han. It’s about an hour commute.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mingyu pouted a bit. “I didn’t realize this was such a hassle for you…”

“It’s no problem.” Seokmin smiled. Mingyu blushed a bit but quickly looked away and pulled his turtleneck up against his chin in an attempt to cover his flushed face. It wasn’t the first time Seokmin smiled at him but it was certainly the first one that made him feel this way.

Mingyu coughed to gain Seokmin’s attention once more. “You… you’re not wearing your glasses.”

Seokmin looked up and blinked. “Oh, I only wear that for work. Makes me look professional, as my best friend says,” he chuckled. “I usually wear contacts.” Mingyu nodded in understanding, turning his head away a bit realizing how awkward that comment might have been. “So this barbeque place is good?”

Immediately, Mingyu turned and nodded enthusiastically. “The best! The cafe used to be right next door before we relocated. So we know the owner.”

They continued to heartily talk to each other as they entered the restaurant. Sitting down with the menu, Seokmin trusted Mingyu wholeheartedly to order the best meat a la carte. After ordering and while waiting for the meat to come to their table grill, Seokmin hummed. “It's interesting. You know a lot about cooking.”

Mingyu smiled with pride. “It's my passion.”

“That's great,” Seokmin replied back with a genuine smile. “Wish I could say the same about beer.”

“But you like your plants, right?” Mingyu asked, thanking the server who brought over the meat as he started placing it on the grill in front of them. After the server left, Mingyu continued to care for the meat. “I called you a scientist when we first met. I still stand by that statement.”

“I'm not a real scientist though. I just work with plants. I actually wanted to work in a pharmacy.”

“Whoa,” Mingyu chuckled a bit. “How'd you end up at the brewery?”

Seokmin shrugged. “My professor said he thought I was the best one for the job.”

“Rightly so, too. You really know your stuff about the science behind it. Me, well, I just drink it and eat cake with it,” he snickered. Seokmin smiled timidly but proudly. He hasn't really felt that validation of his career path, especially since he switched his major so late in his undergraduate career that he was held back compared to the rest of his friends.

The two started eating and continued their conversation that ranged from how their days went to ranting about their roommates.

“And he drinks so much for someone who can barely handle his alcohol!” Seokmin groaned. Mingyu nodded in understanding as he rolled up his sleeves and flipped over the new pieces of meat on the grill. Seokmin continued his rant on Soonyoung and filled their shot glasses with more peach soju as they saw a couple of high school aged kids enter.

“Whoa, aren't they young to be out this late?” Mingyu asked as he put the meat on both of their plates. Seokmin hummed and said kids do this all the time at their age. Mingyu nodded slowly, reminiscing to his own high school days. 

Aside from the teasing, it was a rather nice time for him. Despite the entry exams during the last final year, he enjoyed the companionship of his old friends, one of them being Seungkwan who he works with now. He still keeps in contact with a few of them as well and runs into some every now and then. But he still felt what he told Minghao. He needed to prove his worth to everyone. 

That's when it hit him. “Shit,” he grumbled to himself. He needed a date to the high school reunion. He knew he could go by himself but he didn't want his social life and love life to be the laughing stock of his past acquaintances. He looked over at Seokmin who was eating the tenderloin while scrolling through his phone. “H-Hey, Seok—” 

Seokmin looked up, somewhat shocked at the nickname. “Yes, Gyu?” He grinned when Mingyu mirrored the shock expression. Just as Mingyu was going to speak, the server came back with the check. Grumbling to himself, Mingyu fumbled around to find his wallet as Seokmin casually pulled his out of his jacket pocket and slid his credit card in and handed it to the server. “It's on me, Gyu,” Seokmin beamed. “Really, it’s the least I could do after getting all those free pastries.”

They left the restaurant with happy stomachs as they continued spending time with each other. Although it was pretty chilly to walk around outside the city, they didn't mind all that much. The night was still young and there were still people filling the sidewalks and food carts.

Now was Mingyu’s chance. He could ask Seokmin out right now and ask him to the reunion. He wouldn't be the laughing stock he once was all those years ago, he could prove himself to be what he always wanted to be: a successful guy. But know that he thought about it, glancing at Seokmin who was rambling on about how the brewery has been, was that fair to Seokmin?

He liked Seokmin, that much was true, but was he so hung up on the idea of bringing Seokmin to his high school reunion that he would immediately declare the two of them an item? It didn't matter what anyone else thought at that point: What would Seokmin think of that?

Mingyu didn't want to risk that. He took a deep breath. However, the vibration coming from his back pocket made him and Seokmin pause in their tracks. Pulling out his phone, he blinked when he saw Minghao calling. “Oh, hang on. I need to take this.” Seokmin smiled and nodded as he sat down while Mingyu walked a few feet away to answer. “Hao?”

“How's the date?” Minghao hummed, snickering when Mingyu whined. “What? Did it end already?”

“No, we're just walking now… But, hey, Hao. I'm in a bit of a dilemma.” After ranting about the inner conflict Mingyu had over the past ten minutes to his best friend he sighed. “I'm not being stupid, am I?”

“You're always stupid,” Minghao commented before clearing his throat. “It's understandable though. And it's true, you should consider Seokmin’s feelings as well.”

“What should I do?”

“Honestly, it's all on you. But I would remind you that your reunion is in two days.”

“Shit!” 

Minghao nodded to himself. “How about you continue your date and come back home and think it over, hm? Just don't do anything stupid before then.” Mingyu sighed but nodded, pretty thankful for his friend’s honesty.

He walked back to Seokmin who smiled and stood up from the bench. “Everything good?” Mingyu nodded in reply and Seokmin hummed. “That's good. I have to head back now actually. Forgot Soonyoung is off on Thursday's so he went out tonight too but he forgot his keys so I have to help his drunk ass in,” he snickered. “Do you mind… walking me to the subway?”

Mingyu smiled warmly and agreed. They walked to the nearest subway station. Along the way, Mingyu had been contemplating whether to ask Seokmin or not. He was contemplating if he should still confess to Seokmin at this point.

Seokmin seemed to notice something was up with Mingyu as well. He didn't comment though, he didn't want to intrude. Seokmin hoped it wasn't about the date. As simple as it was, he enjoyed it. A lot. He enjoyed Mingyu’s company as well. A whole lot.

They walked down the stairs, sighing in relief at how the brisk breeze couldn't reach the underground level. Seokmin pulled out his subway card and looked over at Mingyu. “I had fun.”

Mingyu smiled back. “Me too.” He scratched the back of his neck shyly while looking away slightly. “Let's do it again? Soon?”

“I'd like that.” Seokmin nodded happily. He went in for a quick hug, something neither of them were expecting, before heading towards the gate. They waved before parting ways.

Seokmin took a deep sigh and shook his head as he waited by the tracks for the train to arrive. “Gosh, what am I doing? I don't even know if he likes me like that…”

  
  


Soonyoung gasped in shock, almost flipping the spoon off the table. “I thought the date went well!”

Seokmin shrugged as he played around with the rice in his bowl, stirring it around with the eggs. “I thought it did too. But, I don't know. I think he wasn't feeling it afterwards.” He looked over and wiped the mess Soonyoung made with an attempt to clean the yolk that spilled from the tipped over bowl. “He was on the phone talking for a while. Probably complaining about the date.”

With a pout, Soonyoung walked over to grab more paper towels from the closet. “Nonsense, Seok! I think you're just overthinking.” Soonyoung came back and ripped off a sheet for Seokmin before sighing. “I think you're letting the past get the best of you.”

“I am not,” Seokmin quickly snapped back.

“You definitely are.” It was silent as Soonyoung observed how tense Seokmin seemed as he ate his food and sipped his coffee a bit more aggressively. Soonyoung hummed. “See, I know I have my dumbass moments. This—” he pointed at Seokmin, “is your dumbass moment.”

Seokmin frowned as Soonyoung nodded with confirmation.

“You're being an idiot. You're looking back at the past even though you're moving forward and tripping over it.” Seokmin blinked at Soonyoung’s statement, a bit surprised at how profound that sounded. 

“I guess you're right.”

“Dumbass, I know I'm right!” Seokmin chuckled as Soonyoung proudly sipped his coffee in victory for finally reaching out to his friend. “So I don't think you should give up on him, Seok. He seems like a good guy. He wouldn't leave you.”

Seokmin nodded with a long sigh. “Okay. I won't give up on Mingyu.” They smiled at each other and grinned before doing their handshake.

“And for the record,” Soonyoung grinned as he was cleaning their dishes, “I got those words of wisdom from a fortune cookie.” They both laughed but a knock on the door interrupted.

Seokmin got up from the stool and headed to the foyer. Nobody really visits them. And if one of their friends did, they'd notify them ahead of time. He wasn't sure who to expect. And the person behind the door was certainly the last person he was expecting.

As if it were some sort of dream, Seokmin saw Mingyu at the door with a plastic bag from the cafe. Mingyu smiled softly. “H-Hey.”

“U-uh… hello.” Seokmin answered back.

“Seok, who is it?” Soonyoung shouted from the kitchen as he was washing the dishes. Mingyu shouted out his name. Mingyu and Seokmin heard the faucet turn off as Soonyoung dashed over and excitedly introduced himself and shook Mingyu’s hand with enthusiasm. Seokmin blushed in embarrassment. 

Mingyu didn't seem to mind his roommate's excitement though. “Oh,” he hummed as he held the bag up, “I brought cake,” Mingyu smiled. He handed it to a shocked Soonyoung who gratefully took the food offering.

Soonyoung grinned and said he would cut it in the kitchen after he whispered to Seokmin, “just marry him.” Seokmin blushed harshly as Soonyoung hummed happily before gasping at how delicious the cake looked. Mingyu grinned before looking over at Seokmin.

He blinked before gasping. “Oh, gosh. Wait, don’t think I stalked you or something for knowing your address. I asked Jeonghan for it so I could hand-deliver the cake.” Mingyu blushed and turned his head at how awkward it might have seemed as Seokmin grumbled a bit at how his boss would give his address out like that. “But, uh… hi.”

“Hi,” Seokmin smiled.

“Just invite him in already!” Soonyoung shouted from the kitchen. Seokmin groaned as Mingyu took off his shoes and sat down in the living room. 

It wasn’t as awkward as either of them suspected. They were comfortable talking to each other in any situation, they discovered. Mingyu smiled when Soonyoung came back with two slices of cake and put them on the table before going to get tea ready for everyone.

“He seems nicer than you described,” Mingyu hummed.

“This is all fake,” Seokmin rolled his eyes. “He’s trying to be a good host but it’s usually me that does this with our guests.” They both chuckled before Seokmin tapped the pads of his fingers together shyly. “So… what brings you here? It has to be more than cake.”

“Oh,” Mingyu coughed. This was his chance. This was why he came here in the first place. 

 

Mingyu had a talk with Minghao last night about the situation. How dumb he felt for thinking Seokmin could be an object of achievement along with his culinary degree to rub it in the faces of people who used to taunt him all those years ago. It was stupid, Mingyu admitted. He really liked Seokmin. But he still wanted to go to the reunion and he still wanted to prove himself.

“Well for what it’s worth,” Minghao hummed as he paused his game and pulled the headset off, “I think you’re worthier than you think. You’ve grown up a lot and you don’t give yourself enough credit.” Mingyu blinked at the words of encouragement Minghao spoke. He rolled his eyes. “I know I tease you a lot, but that’s how I am. You’re doing well Mingyu and you don’t need anyone else’s approval to verify that.”

Mingyu pouted. His whole system of thinking was off. By a lot. 

“You still want to go though, huh?” Minghao asked. Mingyu looked up and nodded in guilt. “There’s nothing wrong with that. But I think you should be honest with Seokmin about all of this. I mean, if you want to be more than friends, I would hope you would have this sort of communication with him beforehand.” Minghao whined when he heard Wonwoo complain on the headset how Minghao never encourages him like that. Mingyu snickered.

“Okay, I’ll talk to him about it. I just… I want to do it face to face.”

“You could always meet up with him.”

“I want it to be a surprise.”

“Wow, how romantic.” Minghao hummed as he put his headset back on. “Maybe his boss has his address or something? You know his boss, right?” Mingyu nodded. “Alright then just go from there.” Mingyu nodded. He smiled and thanked Minghao for being a good friend. “It’s nothing,” Minghao shrugged. “You know I’m here for you. Literally. We live together.” 

 

—

 

Seokmin reacted better than Mingyu had expected. Not only did he agree to go with Mingyu, but he also agreed to go on another date with him afterwards. After he left Seokmin’s apartment, Soonyoung asked if he could be the Best Man, to which Seokmin flicked his forehead.

Driving to his old high school brought Mingyu back down memory lane. It wasn’t that far away—only a forty-five minute drive at most. Seokmin sat in the passenger seat adjusting his bow tie constantly. Mingyu kept noticing and hummed. “It looks fine. Really. You look nice.”

“Thank you,” Seokmin blushed. “So do you.” He leaned back in his seat and sighed. He was nervous. Anyone in his position would be. It wasn't everyday that the person you're falling for invites you to their high school reunion. (What a way to profess your love for someone, Seokmin thought.)

It wasn't long before they were at the parking lot walking together to the gymnasium. Mingyu inhaled deeply before sighing and moving closer to Seokmin. “This is it. My childhood.”

“It's pretty dark,” Seokmin teased as it was nighttime and the streetlamps were their only source of light. He grinned when Mingyu whined before nudging him shyly. They headed inside the building after showing the invitations. Already, Seokmin felt his heart race. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he wasn't the best at first impressions nor introductions.

He was pulled back into reality when Mingyu reached down and squeezed his hand. “You alright?” Seokmin blinked at the surprise gesture but nodded and squeezed Mingyu’s hand back. They smiled at each other.

Mingyu remembered the gymnasium. He remembered a few old faces, happy to see Hansol and Jisoo hyung: two friendly faces that he grew fond of back in the day.

Hansol was on the way to pre-med school after graduating this spring. He was always a smart, sciencey one, like Seokmin. “It's good to see you, Hyung.” Hansol smiled as him and Mingyu shared their old handshake. They laughed at how they both still remember it. Hansol introduced himself to Seokmin and grinned. “Oh, you do biology too? Hyung had such a difficult time in that class. I kept giving him my notes even though I'm the dongsaeng.”

Mingyu whined as the other two snickered. He was happy to see how well Hansol and Seokmin got along.

Jisoo has been traveling from America and back, visiting his family and working as a freelance musician. “It's pretty hard when it comes to scheduling,” Jisoo nodded, “but my manager's a big help. Wouldn't want it any other way.” Mingyu noticed how intrigued Seokmin was by Jisoo’s career before he remembered how much Seokmin enjoys singing as well.

It was a strange phenomena Mingyu observed. The people he was closest to had the same characteristics that Seokmin had, as if fate had prepared him to meet Seokmin.

After settling down with food amongst his friends and Seokmin, Mingyu eyed someone. Jihoon. Lee Jihoon. One of those that constantly teased Mingyu. He wasn't mean—Mingyu knew that—but Jihoon and him didn't quite see eye to eye.

He stood up, a bold move on Mingyu’s part, and squeezed Seokmin’s shoulder. “I'll be back.” Seokmin saw the look in his eye and nodded in response. Mingyu walked over to Jihoon who was currently sitting with a few people that graduated with him. It was somewhat intimidating to see his Senior once again, but Mingyu just needed to confront him. “Jihoon hyung.”

Looking up from his phone, Jihoon blinked. “Hello… uh…” He looked at Mingyu for a minute before Mingyu flashed a soft smile. “Kim Mingyu?” Surprised to see Jihoon stand up and offer a hand for a firm handshake, Mingyu complied. “Whoa, it's been a while.” He gestured his Junior to sit down next to him.

Pulling up the seat Mingyu coughed. “You seem well, Hyung.”

Jihoon shrugged. “I guess you could say that. I wasn't able to bring anyone, but my wife said to go anyway.”

Mingyu blinked. “Your… wife?”

He nodded. “Met her in uni, we had a music class together. Married right after I graduated.” Mingyu nodded back as Jihoon snickered. “Are you surprised?”

Gasping, Mingyu shook his head. “Ah… no, not really. It's just… uh… you weren't really…”

“Yeah, I wasn't into the dating scene in high school. Actually, I didn't do much in high school. Compared to what I do now.”

“You were involved in the music department.”

Jihoon hummed. “Yeah, but after that one accident where someone spilled their lunch over my piano, it was kind of a downer for me. But I was convinced otherwise to pursue music again after graduating.” He blinked. “Oh, where are my manners. What have you been up to?”

Mingyu looked confused and shocked at what had just happened within the few minutes of interacting with Jihoon. There was no name calling, there was no teasing each other with height differences, there wasn't anything from their old, usual encounters. It was normal. 

“You okay?” Jihoon asked. “You seem out of it.” Mingyu shook out of his trance and shrugged, saying he zoned out for a second. Jihoon nodded before patting Mingyu’s shoulder. “Listen, Mingyu. I know we had our differences back then. But, look: we're talking and having a real conversation without getting on each other's nerves.” Mingyu slowly began to process everything. “We've grown up. We took different paths in life. We aren't who we used to be.”

“Hyung… you speak so well now,” Mingyu commented.

“My wife. Yet again.” He snickered. “I'd like to thank her for the person she made me today.”

“Seems like you love her.”

“Oh, a whole lot. But I still hate talking about gushy and mushy feelings aloud,” he snickered. “What about yourself?”

Mingyu turned to the table where Seokmin and his old friends were laughing and having a conversation. He smiled. “The one with a bowtie.”

Jihoon looked over and nodded. “He seems nice. How long has it been?”

“...A day?”

“And you already invited him?” he snickered as Mingyu whined, mumbling to himself. “Hm, guess some things never change. But, hey, I'm happy for you.”

Mingyu looked over and saw Jihoon smile at him. He smiled back. “Thank you. I'm happy for you too.”

They continued talking, Jihoon showing pictures of the two daughters he had at home waiting for him to tuck them into bed tonight as Mingyu began talking about the cafe. From afar, even Seokmin could tell that Mingyu had come to terms with his past. A big part of it at least.

He could learn from Mingyu, he thought. Seokmin, despite not confronting his past,decided he shouldn't let it affect his future. Especially if his future involves Mingyu. 

“Wow,” Jisoo hummed. “I never saw someone look so in love,” he grinned at Seokmin. Seokmin gasped and blushed. “It's fine. It's nice to see our Mingyu is doing well and is in good hands.”

Hansol nodded as he downed his soda. “Yeah, Mingyu hyung’s great. Happy he found you, Hyung.”

Seokmin was flattered by his partner’s friends words. Even though he never asked for validation, it was nice to hear it.

 

They left the reunion and drove back, Mingyu stating that he needs to stop by the cafe to pick up a cake that he made for Soonyoung. “Oh my gosh,” Seokmin groaned. “You keep feeding him cake and then he's going to whine to me that he's getting fat.”

Mingyu let out a hearty laugh. “But he's happy.” Seokmin rolled his eyes but smiled at Mingyu. Yeah, Soonyoung was happy with cake. Just as much as Seokmin and Mingyu were happy with each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me just tell you that this fic is my second longest one up-to-date so /wheeze/. I am happy I finally got to write for this pairing though! I adore it but never had the opportunity to do so, BUT HERE WE ARE NOW!
> 
> Shoutout to my partners for encouraging me through it all and beta-ing the fic (love you guys ♡), and also to Paney for checking up on me every now and then (which motivated me, huhu ♡). 
> 
> Also, yeah, I'm still alive you guys! Went through a ton of stuff in December school-wise but now that I graduated uni, I hope I have more time to write (and FINALLY reach that 100 fic goal by the end of THIS year).


End file.
